A beloved treat may hold a surprising secret to healthy aging, researchers say - but they warn it's not a free pass to load up on sweets.
Researchers at King's College London say theobromine, a natural compound in dark chocolate, is linked to slower biological aging, according to their study of nearly 1,700 adults across the UK and Germany. The findings were published this week in the journal Aging.
Participants with higher levels of theobromine consistently appeared biologically younger than their actual age, according to the research. The team detected the slower biological aging by comparing theobromine levels with key aging markers, including DNA-based tests that estimate how fast your body is aging and telomere length - the protective caps on chromosomes that shorten with age and are linked to age-related diseases.
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"Our study finds links between a key component of dark chocolate and staying younger for longer," said senior study author Jordana Bell, a professor in epigenomics at King's College London.
"While we're not saying that people should eat more dark chocolate, this research can help us understand how everyday foods may hold clues to healthier, longer lives," Bell added in a statement.
The connection between higher theobromine levels and slower aging held up even after researchers ruled out other compounds in chocolate and coffee, pointing to theobromine as the likely driver, according to the paper.
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Theobromine comes mainly from cocoa products and, to a lesser extent, coffee, so participants with higher levels in their blood likely consumed more cocoa-containing foods or drinks, though the research was observational and didn't track what participants ate.
"This is a very exciting finding, and the next important questions are, 'What is behind this association,' and 'How can we explore the interactions between dietary metabolites and our epigenome further?'" Dr. Ramy Saad, lead researcher at King's College London and a doctor in clinical genetics, said in a statement.
"This approach could lead us to important discoveries towards aging, and beyond, in common and rare diseases," Saad added.
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The researchers are now looking into follow-up studies to better understand the findings, including whether theobromine works on its own or if its effects are boosted by other components in dark chocolate, like health-promoting polyphenols, according to a King's College London news release.
"Although the study explores an interesting association, it does not tell us what happens when theobromine levels change due to eating more or less chocolate and how this changes our health," Dimitrios Koutoukidis, an associate professor of diet, obesity, and behavioral sciences at the University of Oxford, told Euronews.
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The researchers caution that eating more dark chocolate isn't automatically beneficial as it also contains sugar, fat and other compounds.
Theobromine levels in dark chocolate also vary widely by cocoa content, with food chemistry analyses showing that a typical 40-gram bar can contain roughly 200 to 400 milligrams.
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"If people like it, they should enjoy it infrequently and in small amounts," Koutoukidis, who was not involved in the study, advised.
Dark chocolate has previously been associated with other possible health benefits. Cocoa's flavanols, in particular, may help reduce inflammation, support heart and vascular health, improve blood flow, stabilize blood sugar and boost memory, Fox News Digital has previously reported.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the study authors for comment.
